Can the Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai Happen Here?

Can the Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai Happen Here?
By Rawlein Soberano

The United States warned the Indian government twice about a potential maritime attack against Mumbai a month before it actually happened on November 26. They listened and acted upon the warnings for a week, but these efforts were eventually reduced, Indian officials admitted. It was a bloody massacre, a 3-day trail of death and destruction in the country’s largest city and financial capital which left 180 dead and nearly 300 injured. A band of ten terrorists battled police and Indian troops.

The Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner of Crime Rakesh Maria said all 10 attackers were Pakistanis, something that Pakistani officials have denied, blaming instead “stateless actors.” The weapons used can also be traced back to Pakistan. None were carrying their real identification documents because they did not expect to return home. They used sophisticated GPS equipment, carried BlackBerrys, CDs holding high resolution images like those used for Google Earth maps and multiple cell phones with switch-able SIM cards that would be hard to track. They spoke by satellite telephone.

The terrorists attacked the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel, Oberoi Trident, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) train station, Re-fresh restaurant in its main waiting area, a Jewish Center at Nariman House, Leopold Café’, Cama Hospital (charity for women), 70-year old Metro Movie Theater, Times of India and Municipal Corp of Greater Mumbai. One gunman (Azam Amin Kasab) survived. The Indian security was a generation behind in understanding the technology the gunmen used. They were equipped with World War II-era rifles and were certainly no match to the cyber-criminals and Internet-savvy killers.

India has demanded the hand-over of wanted militant leaders suspected of plotting the attacks that caused the many deaths and injuries of civilians and tourists. The surviving gunman was trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a now-banned Islamic militant group, allied with al Quaeda that was also blamed for the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. Pakistani authorities say it has not received any evidence that militants from within its borders carried out the attack and has denied responsibility. This attack has raised the pitch of India-Pakistan tensions to their most dangerous levels in years. The 2001 episode prompted the two countries to send their armies to their borders, sparking fears of war between the two nuclear neighbors.

The Taj is owned by Tata Group, the largest corporate group in India, with interests in steel, automobile, information technology, communications, energy, tea and hotels. Its chairman (Ratan Tata) admitted he did not provide details about the warning and security measures that were enacted as a result. They couldn’t have stopped the gunmen who entered the building through a rear door that does not have a metal detector. They knew what they were doing. They planned everything down to the last detail, entering from the kitchen.

Pakistan warned it was going to divert troops fighting the Taliban and al Quaeda on its western border with Afghanistan to its eastern border with India as tensions over the terror attacks in Mumbai push India and Pakistan towards military confrontation. Washington must mediate as Indian officials declared their country was being put virtually on a war footing. India blames Pakistan while its media have reported detailed but unconfirmed accounts from unnamed security officials that the assault on Mumbai was planned in and launched from Pakistan, making it the largest state sponsor of terrorism. Terror is evidence of weakness.

US intelligence agencies have been tracking the phones and SIM cards recovered by Indian authorities from the Muslim terrorists leading to a cache of leads in Pakistan and several possible connections in the US. Officials said one of the cell phone SIM cards may have been purchased in the US but would not provide any more details because of the ongoing investigation. Are there sleepers in our midst? The place is crawling with H-1B visa IT workers from that part of the world who can collapse our entire infrastructure, many employed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on federal government sites. From the private sector side, the bailout kings (Citigroup and AIG) have just signed agreements with taxpayer money to outsource its jobs to Tata Group and will now handle Citigroup and AIG accounts? Why can’t they hire Americans? Where is their patriotism?

The same massacre has prompted authorities in New York City to beef up security at large hotels and Jewish centers. NYC police department has already been on high alert over concerns of a possible strike during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The terrorist attacks in India prompted enhanced security. The intention of the terrorists is intimidation of the civilian population. If you show or exude strength, they will not bother you because they are cowards who prey on defenseless and innocent elderly, women and children. Enjoy the holidays but be alert of your surroundings when you go out to a public place or take public transportation. When you see something suspicious, report it immediately. Enjoy the holidays!

RBS/AABR (12-09-08)